A New Beginning
by enzo90
Summary: The Clone Wars are coming to an end, and Anakin is returning home to Padme and two newborn twins. However, The Confederacy Of Independent Systems makes a daring move and kidnaps young Luke Skywalker. Ten years later, Luke Skywalker reappears on Coruscant, but will Anakin and Padme ever truly get their son back? Perhaps there is still a New Hope, in a galaxy where there is none...
1. Chapter 1

Endless fires burned around the two duelers, and embers clung to their faces as the heat radiated around them.

The two cared little, however. To them, what mattered was the battle, progressing with the roar of the volcanoes surrounding them. Grunts of exhaustion filled the air, each dueler drawing further on one another's hate to give them the strength to complete the duel. With every clash came droplets of sweat, quickly evaporated by the intense heat. The endless fires soared onward.

The clashing continued until the two duelists found themselves in a lock they could not escape. The duel of wills to determine the victor, and neither would show weakness, for both wanted to please their master.

When they were alone, they considered themselves friends, if not brothers. But here, in the heat of the duel, they were no more than mortal enemies clashing for the survival of the fittest.

Their strikes quickened as the lock broke, and each dared the other to let up as the battle's pace quickened once again. Each one danced around as though performing a show, as each strike struck one another. A beautiful dance, known as the dance of death. The name told no lies.

Finally, the dance broke, as the younger of the two duelists made an impressive leap through the air, swinging his lightsaber around backwards and landing awkwardly as he attempted to twist himself around to break the new lock he had put himself in with the other in an uncomfortable, backwards position. Finally, the lock gave out and the victim stumbled to the floor, lightsaber in hand, barely managing to escape the grasp of the other as the lightsabers locked once again. One was determined to get up and gain his ground, the other, to finish the duel. The latter won out as the lightsaber flung from the younger one's hand, landing silently to the ground as the older boy pointed his lightsaber at him and helped him up, allowing him to retrieve his lightsaber.

The Sith Lord laughed, and the platform grew silent aside from the constant roar of volcanoes and the fiery of the molten magma river below. On Mustafar, there was no break from darkness. "You have done well, young Luke. Impressive, most impressive indeed." He stated, then turned his back on the two figures. "Again." He said.

Once again, the two crimson blades clashed upon one another, each having no relent in their blows. Once again, the elder won out by the younger's lack of footing, landing him on the hard ground and causing him to gasp in pain. He was met with the angry, hoarse air of Mustafar, causing him to sputter further. "Do it again." The Sith Lord stated, as the elder brother looked at his younger in concern and helped him up. "Father, he's not feeling good, perhaps we can practice later." The older brother suggested, as the Sith Lord turned to face him. The older brother winced, although he could not see his father through the black helmet and visor, he knew that his father's anger had turned on him. "Do not call me father while we are training. Do you think a Jedi will take pity on you, Jackson? The Jedi stop at nothing, they are merciless, cold hearted, stealers that fuel the Republic with lies. Their high council is no more than a shadow, they have lost their original ideals, and they have even allowed Jedi to break the pathetic code that they have held dear. They will show no mercy, not even to a fifteen-year-old." His voice spoke harshly through the vocoder that allowed its projection, and Jackson could feel his father's anger within the force as clearly as if it were own. If he could have, Jackson was sure that he would be spitting the words inside his helmet.

Jackson winced once again as the gloved hand came down on his face, followed by his twelve-year-old brother's pleas to stop as his father shoved him to the ground and kicked him aside. His dark jumpsuit glistened in the glow of the fiery of embers that settled around the platform, protected only by a shield that held the platform and the rest of the facility in place. He was donned with silver plates of armor that marked him as emperor and a red, interlocking hexagon that marked the symbol of The Confederacy of Independent Systems patched onto his right shoulder. On his left shoulder, a similar patch marked in Basic as the 50th Elite battalion sat, with two red sabers slashed across the Confederacy's symbol so the symbol was recognized as the battalion. "Again." The Sith Lord stated, raising an eyebrow as the two boys shook their heads in defiance.

Two lightsabers ignited at once, and the Sith Lord smiled under his mask. "Have you ever heard the phrase, to kill two birds with one stone?" The Sith Lord asked, as he slid a black grill over his visor from the side of his helmet. The visor inside started to glow an eerie, red glow, emanating light from behind the two slit visor. The two boys shook their heads, swinging their lightsabers in their hands eagerly. "Pity, perhaps I shall explain it to you afterwards." The Sith lord stated, igniting his own lightsaber as the two boys lunged at him. The computer system inside the Sith Lord's helmet started focusing rapidly, identifying where each swing was going to strike and beeping at him for strikes at his left or right, outside his peripheral vision, which was fairly limited by the mask. He did not need it, however, as the force provided all he needed.

Luke struck at him first, aiming for his weaker neck zone, and the Sith Lord was hard pressed to block it, the heavy armor weighing his strikes down as he continuously switched lightsaber forms to make up for it. He pushed Luke back just as his own son struck at him, barely missing his left shoulder. He smiled at the two boys once again as he watched their progress and strategy, but their forms were no match for his, he just needed the right moment to separate the two.

The moment came when Luke charged at him once again in anger, the blades clashing against each other, fighting to keep up. The Sith Lord easily kicked his footing, pushing Luke to the ground and causing his lightsaber to roll away, off the edge of the platform. The Sith lord raised his blade, preparing to strike Luke down as Jackson jumped in, locking the two crimson blades in an underhand lock just below the Sith Lord's chest. "Very good, Jackson." He stated.

Jackson smirked at him, keeping his focus on his lock. "I have other tricks, Malvus." Jackson replied, as he twisted his lightsaber around to break the lock. But Malvus held on, bring the lock dangerously high above Jackson's height and causing Jackson to have to break the lock and move out of the way as Malvus used the power of the lock into his swing, narrowly missing Jackson.

Malvus laughed, and deactivated his lightsaber. "You have done well, both of you, but you left your friend here undefended. I could have easily cut him down in his injured state." Malvus stated, and offered Luke a hand. Luke scrambled away, only to fall into his brother's grasp in his struggles.

"Calm down, Luke. It's over." Jackson said, and Luke glared at him. "So this was all a test? You liar! You agreed to help me defeat him." He said pointing a finger at his father.

Malvus smiled and snapped off his helmet, allowing the grill and the visor to retract into its inner works. "And so he almost did, Luke. This was simply a test of both your abilities." He nodded towards Jackson then, who let Luke go. "Go, Vestali is making dinner. I shall retrieve your lightsaber, Luke." Malvus said, and the two boys nodded, turning on their heels towards the entrance to their small apartment within the large facility.

* * *

The facility was a temporary testing zone where all the leaders of the Separatist army had gathered after they had learned of their imminent defeat, scared for their lives. Once knowledge got out of Palpatine's,and supposedly, Sidious' death, the Separatist leaders had freaked. Many systems had surrendered themselves over to Republic, choosing to undergo reformation and be stripped of all power as a military district until they readopt the Republic laws than face certain death at the hands of the Republic. It was around this time that Malvus ceased power, taking control of the remaining Separatist army and forming an empire.

The war had continued on for days later, but the Jedi had never suspected a Sith Lord to be in control. With as much force as possible, the Jedi sent forth their remaining troops, focusing on the new reorganization point of the many Separatist leaders, Corellia. The battle dealt a crucial blow towards the Separatist fleet, as the capital was besieged, forcing Corellia to surrender. The droid army was destroyed, and Malvus went into hiding, reforming the remaining loyalists on Separatist controlled Mustafar. It was there that he raised his two children, Jackson and Luke,in the ways of the force, and reformed the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

To the republic, the Confederacy of Independent Systems was dead. It was merely a background political party controlled by the notorious Trade Federation, who now reported to the republic on their every action, giving up their foremost technologies to the Republic. The defeat of the Trade Federation was critical, but it did not stop Malvus. His own technological team, previously members of the Trade Federation as well as loyal separatists, were now his providers, shipping material from Corellia as discreetly as possible through non-public trade lines only accessible to Corellia. Despite its defeat, Corellia had managed to convince the Republic to continue as a member of the Confederacy's political party. They were now the heart of Malvus' secret revival, educating the youth over the Confederacy while managing to barely slip by on the Republic's standard of democratic forms of education. The truth was simple for Corellia; the Republic was no longer in control.

Malvus knew it was only a matter of time before he unleashed his ideals to the Republic and crushed it firmly under his boot. He had learned from the past, and this time, he would not fail again. The Republic would be dead by an apprentice that was once one of their own, and they would never know it.

* * *

Luke pushed his food around on his plate with anger unprecedented in his eyes. For the second time that night, they had turned cold yellow, a surprising feature of Luke's, considering his eyes rarely did such things more than once. Unlike his father, Luke preferred to keep his feelings hidden under a cold, piercing gaze of blue unforgiving of those around him. It was the exact stare he gave Vestali now. "You should eat your food, Luke." Vestali suggested as Luke pushed his food away. "I'm not hungry." He stated, leaving the table and hurrying off towards his room. The metallic door clicked behind him with as much force as possible.

Vestali got up to follow, but a hand held her back. "Leave him." Jackson said, and she sighed, glancing over at Jackson. "I want to help him so badly, but I'll never understand his pain."

Jackson nodded, for he had felt the same way. Luke had always been different. He did not share Jackson's feelings, nor did he share Jackson's traits of jet-black hair and brown eyes. "He'll come to us when he's ready." Jackson said with reassurance, though something in the force told him it was not true.

Vestali took the statement to heart, however, not caring to notice the falsity of the terms despite her faint force sensitivity. "I've always seen you two as my brothers, even if you are not." She said as her eyes bore into Jackson's wistful eyes.

Jackson had loved her ever since he had first laid eyes on her. Her red hair curled down in waves, whooshing in the wind as she had approached the two boys and their father. Her perfect, green eyes, and her lean body that gave off a feeling of viciousness and ingenuity. It had hurt to learn that she was seventeen, which, according to his father, was "not in his age range." It had hurt even worse to finally accept that she would never love him back.

Vestali always felt Jackson's pain, but as a seventeen year old assassin serving his father, she had always felt awkward around him. It wasn't his fault that she had never noticed him, it was her own. But Jackson would never realize this, and she would never be able to truly love him. At least, that's what she thought.

* * *

Luke snuck out as soon as everyone had left for bed and headed for the hangar, hiding himself within the force to prevent force-sensitives, particularly his father, from finding him. Something was drawing him to leave, for he knew exactly where he was going as he meandered down the vast halls of the facility towards the public hangar. There, he knew, he could take off without anyone questioning him. He was the notorious son of a Sith Lord, he could easily get by without much trouble or someone putting a tracking device on his ship. Despite these reassurances, Luke still made his way around cautiously, taking cover every time a group of troopers, clad in white armor and helmets with their visors down, pass by.

Finally, Luke reached the hangar and chose a starfighter that he knew could jump to hyperspace, bypassing the systems easily through his identity. He was about to takeoff when the comlink beeped on his arm, and he hesitantly answered it. "Luke?" Jackson's voice came through. Luke frowned slightly before answering, "I'm fine, Jackson. Go back to bed."

Jackson must have sensed something wrong, however, as his voice came in for another reply. "Don't do this Luke."

Luke frowned at the statement. How could Jackson know? The two had a force bond, but Luke had shut it off. "Who says I'm doing anything?" Luke retorted.

This time, Vestali's voice came in. "I do. Don't be foolish, Luke. I know where this is headed. Your father will kill you if he finds out. Get out of the ship, and come home. Now."

Luke growled in frustration, starting up the engine and cursing himself for his momentary distraction as he sensed two familiar presences enter the hangar. "Stop that ship!" Jackson yelled towards the storm troopers, who reacted immediately. Alarms went off, and the hangar doors started to close as storm troopers began to fire electrical charges at the ship, attempting to bring it down.

The shields beeped at Luke as they started to fail as Luke navigated towards the hangar exit, narrowly avoiding the hangar doors as he slid through the exit. "That was close." He said as his comlink beeped once again. "Luke…" Jackson began, but the transmission cut off as Luke flicked a switch on his arm.

Luke smiled at his frenzied escape, he was free now, and he knew exactly where to go. "R-14, set a course for Coruscant." The droid beeped at him in confusion, and Luke looked down to observe the translation. "I know, I know. We're not supposed to go there. Just do it. Please." The droid beeped once more in worry, but complied.

Luke sat back and relaxed as the ship slid into the familiar sounds of hyperspace.

He was free.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Nanydoll-Yes, we will be seeing Leia in this story, very soon!**

* * *

The ship slid out of hyperspace, revealing the vast city-planet of Coruscant. Its lights gleamed beautifully from space, creating intricate patterns that Luke could only gape open mouthed at.

Luke had never seen anything like it in his life. Then again, Luke hadn't been to many planets in his lifetime. His father rarely took him on missions, and when he did, they were usually to Corellia.

He sighed and entered the space traffic lane that would allow him to enter the planet's atmosphere. He had no idea where he was going yet, but he knew the force would guide him. His thoughts escaped him as a voice entered into the ship's comm. "Please state your ship's name and licensing number." The voice stated, not bothering with formalities.

Luke stated the only name that could come to mind. "Twilight, K78-90E." He said, using the force so that the correct information was quickly filed in on the ship.

"Please don't tell me you got the name from Master Anakin and former Padawan Ahsoka's starship. I've had enough of those." The voice said. If Luke could see his face, he was sure it would be rolling its eyes.

Luke wanted to scoff in disgust that he had chosen any name associated with two Jedi, but he held his tongue. "Yup, I did." He said. Roll with it, Luke thought.

The voice groaned. "Right then, you're clear for landing. Please land on Public Docking 1-A." Luke nodded, and quickly shut the comm off as he prepared to land.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker had been having a good day. That was, until the Jedi Council had called him over to help with security aboard the public docking of the lower levels. There had been a recent increase in crime on Coruscant, and Anakin, being the shining image of the Republic, was to put a stop to it. At least Leia is out having fun with Padme, Anakin thought.

He watched the constant stream of passengers going in and out to their various ship docks, just barely keeping an eye out with his force senses as he poked quietly at each passing person for maliciousness. The Clones beside him nudged him, and pointed in a general direction. Anakin looked over in boredom, it would be the second time this week that they had caught someone smuggling, and he was sure this time would be no different.

But when he turned to look, a different site caught his eye. A small boy, aged no older than eleven, was walking slowly out of his ship. The clone on guard raised an eyebrow at the boy, who placed a load of credits in his hand, glancing around suspiciously. When he seemed to see no one who was watching, he waved his hand in front of the soldier.

* * *

"You don't need to see my identification. You'll take your credits, and you'll keep my ship here." The clone repeated what Luke told him. Luke stepped off the platform and moved into the main stream of Coruscant traffic, slipping quickly by in the hopes that no one noticed him. The clones did, however, and Luke began to walk faster, pushing through the crowd of people and using his size as an advantage. The clones quickened their pace as well, indicating that they had noticed his movements. Just great, Luke thought as he continued to speed up, now into a run. "You there! Stop! Stop! Stop that boy!" A clone yelled. A line of clones came after him, and Luke reached for the small blaster he kept concealed within his belt next to his lightsaber, shoving past a few more people as he did so.

The clones continued to attempt to cut him off as he ran along the narrow passageway, narrowly avoiding falling off the edge. He turned a corner as yet another line of clones cut him off on the turn route, heading into an even narrower alleyway lined with old warehouses. "Dead end." He muttered under his breath as the clones advanced on his position.

Despite his troublesome situation, Luke grinned, noticing the alleyway was deserted. Now I can have some fun with these clones, Luke thought. One of the clones with red shoulder pads, whom Luke assumed was the commander, stepped forward.

"Put the blaster down, kid." The clone said, nodding towards the blaster in his hand. "Why should I?" Luke asked, feigning as much of a scared and confused child as he could. "We're not going to hurt you." The commander stated, nodding towards the other clones. Slowly, the clones lowered their blasters, but the commander kept his up. So much for trust, Luke thought. "And why should I believe that when you've chased me down five different streets and an alley to trap me in a corner? Pathetic." Luke stated, raising his blaster.

All at once, the clones reacted, raising their own blasters. "Drop yours first, then I'll drop mine." Luke said in a commanding tone.

The commander was taken back by this, and some of the clones laughed silently and nervously under their helmets, unsure whether to be surprised, scared, or firm in their positions. "We aren't going to-", but before the commander could finish, a figure stepped out from behind him, dressed in Jedi robes.

This is not good, Luke thought as he saw the Jedi step in front of the commander. "Weapons down, commander. I'll deal with this one." Silently, Luke cursed himself for not reacting earlier to the threat and not sensing another force presence.

* * *

Anakin moved forward towards the boy, who was now backing up in fear towards the edge of the alley, bumping against the metallic wall. "It would be best if you lower your weapon." Anakin said as the boy frowned. "I'll lower it when I chose too." The boy said, moving his hand toward his belt. Before the boy could react, the concealed item flew through the air towards Anakin's hand. Anakin's eyes widened as he felt the familiar, cool metal of a lightsaber hilt. "You're force sensitive." Anakin said, leaving no room for delay.

The boy did not answer, choosing to grip his blaster tightly within his right arm. "It would be wise of you to stay out of my things." The boy said, pointing the blaster now directly at Anakin's head. "And I don't think shooting me would be wise of you." Anakin replied.

"We'll see about that." The boy pulled the trigger, but the shot never went. His fingers met cold air as Anakin caught the weapon with his free hand, and slipped it onto his belt. The boy stared at him in shock as Anakin ignited the lightsaber, his eyes widening further at the color of the blade, a deep, crimson that hummed softly and cast an eerie glow on the surrounding darkness. Anakin sheathed the blade and frowned at the boy. "Yes, you are definitely coming with me."

* * *

 **Sorry for short chapter, but I thought I'd end it this way. Plus I'm very busy with summer right now and writing Ripples Within Time! I will be posting another chapter soon! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin dragged the protesting boy by the arm into his speeder and thanked the clones for their help. "Make sure his ship gets impounded, and watch the checkpoint while I am gone." He said, nodding towards the commander, who gave him a quick 'Yes sir' before heading off with the rest of his squadron.

The boy did not speak as Anakin lightly shoved him in, making sure the doors were locked. "Don't try jumping, I'll know before you even attempt to stand." Anakin said as the boy huffed in response.

The speeder was quiet for most of the ride as both Anakin and the boy were silently lost in their thoughts. Finally, Anakin sighed. The silence was too much for him. "What's your name?" He asked the boy.

The boy glared at him, but did not speak. Anakin grabbed him by the shoulder. "Your name. Now. I need to know it." The boy yelped in pain, and attempted to shove Anakin with the force to escape, but Anakin only pushed harder. "Your name. Now." He repeated.

"Why, so you can know it before you kill me?" The boy asked, glaring at him with anger. Instantly, Anakin let go of his shoulder, cursing himself silently for his weakness to a boy he barely knew.

Why should you show mercy to him? He's a Sith Lord, is he not? Anakin thought. But something in the force told him otherwise. The boy had something more to him than that, but for the life of him, Anakin could not understand what the feeling within the force meant.

"That's not the Jedi way." Anakin said, sighing. Think like a child, what would he want? Anakin thought.

"Would you tell me your name, if I told you where we're going?" Anakin asked. The boy contemplated it for a moment, and Anakin could feel him send out a small probe in the force to check his truthfulness. Finally, the boy nodded. "My name is Luke." He said.

Anakin stared at Luke for a moment in shock. Luke? He thought. That was my son's name, before he was taken. He trailed off for a minute, taking in the memories of that day.

It had been a very bright, summer day. They had taken the children to Naboo, and the handmaidens were watching them closely. Anakin had been inside with Padme when he had felt something wrong within the force. Immediately, he grabbed his lightsaber and went outside, only to find a ship taking off with both Luke and Leia inside.

The Naboo guard was quick to react, and media stories went everywhere as the search began. They had searched every planet possible, from the Outer Rim to the Core Worlds.

The ship was found a week later, just outside Anakin's home planet of Tatooine at a local docking station. Because no Republic presence had existed on the planet, the Jedi were not able to enforce the laws of the Republic there, and would have to go in secretly. Anakin had wanted to be a part of the mission, but with advice from both Padme and the Jedi Council of which he was now a Master on, he had stayed back and observed from afar.

It would be a decision he would later regret.

The holo flick started with the Jedi surrounding the ship and blocking off the docking bay with assistance from the shady works of pirates and Hutts alike. After several calls towards the ship to surrender its cargo with threats of impoundment, the Jedi cautiously entered. There, a small child lay, shaking a dead woman. "Wake up, please. Wake up!" The child said, screaming as one of the Jedi grabbed her. A comm link was turned on. "We've found the girl, no sign of the boy." The Jedi holding Leia said. "Continue to search the ship. I will be on the lookout from above. Nothing leaves this planet without our discretion." Obi-Wan's voice came in.

"Understood, Master Kenobi." The commlink cut off, and the Jedi handed the girl over to what appeared to be his Padawan. "Ensure that she gets safely back to the ship. Have two Jedi Masters escort you." The Jedi said blatantly. "Yes, master." The Jedi said.

"Master! Come look at this!" A Jedi yelled, calling the Jedi over to the body of the woman. The man kneeling before the body, a Jedi temple healer Padawan by the looks of it, was staring down at the body in shock. "What is it?" The Jedi asked, pushing the healer out of his shock.

"The- the wounds. They look like- like…" The healer couldn't bring him to finish, and so the Jedi finished for him. "Lightsaber marks." The two stared at the body for a moment in puzzlement, barely saying a word. Finally, he picked up his commlink and dialed Obi-Wan. "The body we found holding the child has lightsaber marks in it." The Jedi said, disregarding the usual introductions. Obi Wan raised an eyebrow. "This should be interesting. I will get back to the Council with this. Finish your search, we will meet up at the rally point. May the Force be with you." The holo had cut off there. Anakin, of course, knew the rest. His child had not been found, and after a two months long search, the Council had given up.

Anakin had never forgiven himself for the pain he had caused his wife. The two of them could never bring themselves to conciliation with the dreaded words. Luke was dead, and Anakin, like any Jedi, could only bring himself to let go. He had not thought of Luke's death, nor had he spoken of Luke, in the years since.

And yet here was this boy here, whom reminded him of himself in every way imaginable. Whom reminded him of his son. But it wasn't him, he reminded himself.

Luke was dead. There was no changing that.

"Lookout!" Luke said, bringing Anakin out of his thoughts as he swerved to the right side to avoid an incoming speeder. "That was close. Now, your promise." Luke said, glaring at him.

"What?" Anakin asked as the boy scoffed.

"The promise you made earlier. Are you Jedi forgetful or something?" Luke snapped.

"Right. We're heading for the Jedi temple, where we will meet the Jedi council. They've been expecting your arrival, Luke." I've been expecting your arrival, Anakin thought. He shook the thought off and mentally slapped himself. This isn't my son, he thought. It's just a boy named Luke. There's lots of boys his age named Luke, right?

Not ones that resemble you so closely. Another part of him thought.

"How old are you, Luke?" Anakin asked, but Luke never answered.

He sighed. "You'll have to tell them at the temple, anyways. I'll get to know anyways."

"I doubt they tell lowly Jedi like you who do their dirty work for them." Luke snapped at him.

Anakin felt like laughing. "Lowly? Is that what you Sith call us? I'm a Jedi Master on the Council. I will get to know anyways. After all, I am their 'Chosen one'."

Luke stared at him in shock for a moment. He couldn't help it as the hatred poured into his veins. "You're Anakin Skywalker? I thought Anakin Skywalker was some low-life Jedi that ruined the Jedi order by breaking the 'no attachments' rule and somehow made it onto the Council." Luke said in disgust.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure your ever so powerful master knows everything about us." Anakin said sarcastically, watching as Luke stared at him with a look of utter surprise. "Oh don't tell me that you don't have a Master. A boy your age couldn't have learned the skills you have on your own. You're how old? Eleven? Twelve?"

"Twelve!" Luke spit out in his anger before he could stop himself. Anakin smiled, and Luke cupped his mouth shut with a small growl in Anakin's direction. "Now we're getting somewhere. You're more vulnerable in your anger. I'll have to remember that."

* * *

The speeder parked as close as possible to the Jedi temple- which was even further away than before and was now completely closed off from both the Senate and public after Palpatine's treason against the Republic. It had made the temple quiet place, if it were not quiet before.

As he got out, two temple guards stepped forward and then back quickly as they sent a quick mind probe and confirmed it was Anakin.

Anakin tugged Luke behind him, pulling him away from the temple guards, whom he swore were staring right through Luke in spite of their masks. They know I'm a Sith. They can sense the darkness in me, a foreign thought entered Anakin's mind. Anakin stared back at the boy, though any indication that he had let down his shields in fear was not given by the boy. Anakin smiled slightly and then turned away, tugging Luke up the steps. This could be useful, he thought.

"I'm not a kid, you know. I don't need to be carried up to your stupid Jedi temple." Luke said.

Anakin ignored him and tugged him farther into the temple. Hallway through hallway, level by level, Anakin's mind entered autopilot as he walked with a quickened pace towards the Council chambers.

The turbo lift door opened in front of them moments later, and Anakin stepped inside with Luke in hand.

"Relax. They won't harm you." Anakin said, noticing that Luke was shaking.

Luke shook him off just as the doors opened, revealing the Council chamber doors. Anakin guided him forward, ignoring Luke's protests, and pushed him into the Council room.

As expected, the Council was seated, waiting. Anakin took his seat and nodded towards Obi-Wan. He had been the first one he had contacted to inform the rest of the Council. Obi-Wan gave him a small smile before turning his head towards the boy and studying him closely. It was clear that the boy was shaking with fear, despite the strength he was attempting to give off within the force. He felt the boy reach out slowly to each one of the faces in the room, all of which had their eyes turned towards him, then slowly relax as he sensed no true danger, allowing his mental shields to relax just enough for Obi-Wan to squeeze in.

The expected fear was there. The power. And yet, when Obi-Wan reached out further, he found no traces of the expected darkness. The boy's light shone like a beacon, much as Anakin's had at that age. It was simply- covered. Hidden as though if by a cloud that it could not shine through. Obi-Wan frowned and looked around, though if any of the other Jedi had sensed it they made no significant marks within the force to verify.

Strange, thought Obi-Wan. It's as if the force wants only Anakin and I to be able to see through the veils.

"Afraid, you are." Came Yoda's voice.

Luke stared at him, but ignored the question. "My name is Luke. I'm twelve years old. Is that enough for you? Why don't you just get on with it? I'm not afraid. I have faced death before."

"Jedi do not seek death. It is not the Jedi way." Obi-Wan replied. Luke turned his glare to him and quickly looked down, doubling his efforts on his mental shields. He was quite sure that Obi-Wan could see directly through him.

"Afraid of us, are you, hmm?" Yoda continued, ignoring Luke.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Luke asked, now turning his glare towards Yoda.

Yoda smiled, and Anakin was sure that the old troll had laughed at the similarity. There was no question in it, Yoda knew. Perhaps even more than Anakin himself knew.

"Everything! Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the darks ide." Yoda stated cryptically.

"Yeah, well, I'm already a Sith apprentice. No surprise there, so why don't you just throw me in a jail cell or something." Luke stated sarcastically.

"Have you done something wrong to deserve being thrown in a cell?" Obi-Wan asked. Luke scowled, but didn't retort.

"Who is your Master?" Mace Windu asked.

"Why should I tell you that?" Luke snapped, turning towards Mace Windu.

Mace Windu sighed. "If you do not tell us now, you will tell us later. Skywalker and Kenobi will escort you to the medical room. There, you will be treated for any wounds you might have. You will report to us as soon as you are willing to give us the information we need." Master Windu said.

"Adjourned, this meeting is." Yoda added, as both Anakin and Obi-Wan got up from their seats and dragged Luke out of the room.

* * *

"Hold still, Luke." The healer said. Luke winced as the small needle poked flesh, drawing tiny droplets of blood to the outer surface of his skin. The healer smiled and scraped the blood off and handed it to a droid. "Get this tested. I want to find out his force potential and any relations he might have. Perhaps we can find something on his parents, or his Master for Master Windu."

The medical droid nodded and walked off with the information as Luke struggled against the restraints.

He had freaked out earlier when Anakin had left him, stating that he had work that he needed to get done. Anakin may not have been much, but he was the only Jedi that Luke had known that seemed nice, going so far as to comfort him on the way up and down in the lift. But he's still a Jedi, a darker part of his mind thought.

Luke cursed himself for his foolishness. He had run away. He had gone where he was not supposed to go. He had failed his Master, and his brother, and Vestali. And now look where I am because of it, Luke thought. In a stinking healer's ward, getting his wounds "cleaned" and getting "tested for foreign substances" when really his potential, and possibly any other information they could get out of his blood, were being tested. For all he knew, this room and the healer, who seemed to always be smiling, were a test.

The healer stared at Luke cautiously, and with a smile, removed his restraints and brushed his bangs back out of his face. "Sleep, young Luke. You need the rest." She said, putting a slight force command on it as Luke's mind resisted. Luke's mind resisted as the touch pulled him into distant memories, settling on the comforting memory of his brother's force presence. On Vestali. He had run away. He had failed them. Had failed his father. He missed them, missed his father, and as much as he hated them, he loved them so. Silently, he cursed himself again. He cursed the Jedi for the oppressive means, he cursed his father, but most of all, he blamed himself. For in the end, it was he that had run away. It was his fault, and his alone to deal with. He was alone. On a foreign planet, in a foreign place. Alone in the force. Alone in the galaxy. No one was left for him. Nothing was left for him. He had no reason to live any longer, other than to cause more pain to himself.

With that, the healer took her hand off Luke's head, and Luke was left alone to a restless sleep.

* * *

"Anakin, you should come see this." The healer, whom Anakin had left in charge of Luke, spoke into his comm. "We'll be there right away." Anakin said, nodding towards Obi-Wan, and then towards Padme. "I'm going." Padme stated, grabbing her blaster and slipping it into her belt.

"Someone needs to watch Lei-" Anakin started in argument, but Obi-Wan held up a hand. "I will watch her. The two of you need to go. This important for both of you."

Anakin sighed. "I hope you are right, Master. May the force be with you." Anakin said, and together, he and his wife headed out of the apartment towards the family speeder.

The healer was almost frantic when the two arrived. "Well?" Anakin asked. "I- I think you should look for yourselves." The healer said, pointing to a nearby datapad. Anakin glanced at Padme uncertainly for reassurance as the two walked over to the screen. Anakin gulped, and pressed the on button on the datapad.

The screen came to life, revealing several tables full of medical information on blood type and a Midichlorian count of around 16,000+. But none of this was important to the two as they glanced at the single table marked: 'Relatives'.

Underneath were two names:

 _Anakin Skywalker-Father_

 _Padme Skywalker-Mother_

Both Anakin and Padme glanced at each other in shock as each one read over the table several times. It was impossible, and yet, it was there.

"We've found him." Anakin said finally, breaking the silence as Padme pulled him into a hug.

Their son was home at last.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it! :) Please review, it helps me to understand the story from other people's viewpoints! :)**


End file.
